God's Math Doesn't Math

Today’s readings.

I’m struck again by Jesus’ words about gifts that come back “packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.”

I’m reminded of how some of the Church Fathers speak of almsgiving as a kind of lending to God: when we give to those who cannot give back, we are “lending” from our treasury into God’s hands, and that’s where the overflow begins. And yet what we give was never purely ours to begin with. The time, the money, the strength, the patience—they are truly ours, and yet we received them first as gifts. 

Therefore, when we give, we are placing back into God’s hands what came from him in the first place. Of course, we are limited. We have finite resources, real responsibilities, and prudence requires calculation. But Jesus is asking us to move beyond our logic of calculation: to stop giving only where the math works in our favor. 

A heart that keeps score stays small: measuring people, measuring motives, measuring what’s fair. But when we give freely from what we first received, without angling for “return on investment”, God answers in a way that defies our math. Lent is a season to relearn our logic of giving, to move beyond stinginess without abandoning prudence, and to trust that nothing placed in God’s hands is ever diminished.

Today’s Practice - Almsgiving: 

Choose one small act of generosity today that stretches you just slightly beyond comfort, but not beyond prudence. Give from what you’ve received — your time, your attention, your money, your patience — without mentioning it, tracking it, or expecting it to circle back. Before you do it, pause for a moment and acknowledge: “Lord, this was yours before it was mine.” Then “lend” it to God.